On gold I used to enter the first one-tick pause and call it a pullback. That is how you buy slippage for a living while telling yourself you are patient. Now I define micro-pullback depth in advance relative to the impulse that preceded it, so the trigger is measurable.
Desk rules that reduced noise entries:
- Pullback must travel a minimum fraction of the prior impulse — written, not felt in the moment.
- If spread is elevated, required depth increases or the trade is skipped entirely.
- Time-stop still applies — deep pullbacks can become reversals while you negotiate with yourself.
How do you define “enough” pullback depth on XAUUSD without turning it into curve-fit nonsense?
On fast gold days I would rather miss a shallow pullback than pay for five shallow fakes. Depth rules feel slow in the moment and cheap in the monthly cost column.
